The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1887-01-12

n
time. while the warden has probably had none
OF course the Detroit House Of Correction will be
quoted, but that has grown from small begin
ming up through SCORE OF years, ana IL OF
small account as compared with our State
prisons anyhow.
BY reading the reports Of the different war
dens in the different States you will see they all
agree that the average product OF n convict Is
not to exceed from sixty to sixty-iye per cent OF
IA regular mechanic. Some places the per cent.
is above. but more below, these tgares. There
fore n contractor pays nearly as much for his
labor as does the employer OF honest men He
also takes his laborers in the main without any
knowledge OF the trade they are TO follow, and
teaches them to work upon his goods and prob
ably loses their services by expir tion of SEN
tence Just as they are becoming valuable to him,
and Ia forced to commence ON raw hands again
The next 90 consider IL the piece-price system
This differs from the contract system only that
the State furnishes the labor and tho contractor
the material. The competition in the outside
world is Just the same rs i'm the contract svs-
tenn, only the State takes all the risk in break
ages and imperfect goods furnished. The over
seers aud instructors are just the same
contract work, / remarked before. The
former are always prison employees, the
latter necessarily mechanics, and IL makes
no difference what system is adopted 30 far ms
tho care OF the prisoners or product OF the
dering the contractors TO tear out their
machinery rnd the State putting in new, after
tho customer is found and the business or arti-
cles 20 be tnaau actured settled upon under
tbs piece-pr CO systom, viii cost the State at
best hundred, of thou sands Of dollars and then
be no be.tt' Ia IL the contract system in any
respect, and much worse and more expensive
in nlHfN.
To some eVtort the piece-price plan is used in
both our prisons and l recommend that they
be allowed u remain as they are, grow MS
seems Dett 20 n iimitod extent upon hand work,
rs often lovble aud unemployed men can DO SO
used
lastly comes tho State account system. which
means nlwuyo an Immense loss, and sure to be
aband'Led IN my opinion, by every State, ulti-
natey which sdOsts il. IL has cost the State
of New lori millions of dollars to try the ex-
perrin mt. ana - end is not yet. Suppose you
adopt the -faoe account syst m. You must
provide IA wo sing capital Of at least $50 10 the
man, which. for an average say of 200 prison
ers, will make $JOl,O0. Then, what will you
manufacture? You have the mon and money,
but no established business, no trade, no skilled
mechanics, no purchasing agents no selling
agents all this you can get except mn estab-
lshed business, which only grows after years
and years OF toll, and alwayo from small be-
ginning
II YOU close out the contractors Won can. per
haps. purchase their machinery, but not their
business. Their customers are their own but
not yours. You can find an army of men who
will be willing to work for q rich State but
where will the responsibility lie? Then who is
TO manage this business if there is a Change in
the administration, and il the law retains the
warden during good behavior, who Is to be the
Judge of such behavior? And, if he is ncom-
petent, or dishonest, who is going to take his
place?
u
position be he never so honest and capable !;
no man can superintend business until he
learns it from the root up. Even We're all this
State account successful, where is the COMPETE
ton TO honest toll TO be changed? Gentlemen
you the guardians Of the State and It's
Treasury, and should look at these cold
know, but State account system is
impracticable, and it's adoption means an
enormous debt for the State, business that
would ruin any private individual, and in my
n
great loss and when your contractors have all
gone. have received many letters and sug-
gestions that the matter be settled by setting
prisoners TO work on public highways or at
breaking stones. This is brutal both 10 prisoner
and his friends. In many instances convicts
are innocent in most cases his fyieEds are.
OF course YOU will not consider such II course
for moment.
Much is said concerning the ill-treatment Of
prisoners that they are over-worked by cor
tractors, etc, etc. II this is true the warden
alone is 20 be blamed, as he and his keepers
have entire charge Of them, the contractors
have nothing To do concerning their discipline.
confess TO having no patience with people MAX
ing such charges. They are either ignorant of the
facts sentimentalists who visit prisoner in
his cell who is guilty of the greatest crime. and ot
the same time forget the family made desolate by
such crime. The prison is IA place for punish
ment, not, of course, for inhunan treatment of
men. The inn ates are, as they should be- de-
prived OF tho Injuries and other pleasures of
life. That is their punishment for wrong doing
but so far as being overworked is concerned, il
is not truo The work of prisoners is no harder
than that Of honest men engaged in the same
work in any of our shops and factories
The product of both our prisons is not one
third of one per cent of that of the manufac-
turers of the State, and besides there are 243
free men engaged about the two prisons who
are thus withdrawn from the manufacturing
classes and made consumers of the products of
the farm and shop. sincerely trust and be-
lieve you viii give this great subject the ear
nest thought il deserves.
wish 70 call your special attention TO the
importance Of ureing upon the general govern
ment the necessity of at once purchasing and inn
proving the canals between keweenaw Bay and
Lake Superior. The importance OF these water
ways both rs n cutoff to save distance and as
harbors of refuge in case of storms cannot be
overestmated. At present they are too shall
low to admit vessels of any considerable size.
Another great problem that must be solved in
the near future is the one OF imm grafton. Two
wears ago / recommended the continuance OF
tho COnmissionership of Immigration, but the
Legislature saw fit to abolish the office, and
an now satisfied that they were much wiser
than /. An examination of the records of our
asylumns, prisons, poor houses, and jails, will
startle you when you lind Ithe great per cent:
Of inmates that foreign Iborn. Bad
people of all classes and conditions
criminals, paupers, partially insane,
cripples, aged and infrm, are dumped upon our
shores having been sent from foreign countries
here because it is much cheaper to pay steerage
fare for them across the waters than TO keep
them end they bring up in our iails, prisons
poor houses, and asylums, and are supported
by the. taxpayers of our State. While bolievt
it is for the best interests of this country to in
vite people, no matter how large the mum.
bers To come here from foreign lands
provided they are healthful in body
and in mind, capable Of earning
n living and of making good citizens durinI
time of peace, and who would be willing in time
of war, should thnt ever come, to take up arms
TO defend this country yet would forever OK
clude the class referred to, and would not allow
n person TO immigrate TO this country who can
not present a certificate as 10 soundness OF body
mind and character As / said before, this land
OF ours should not be dumping ground fol
these paupers nor should disturbers OF the peace
such as Nihilists and Anarchists from othel
countries, be tolerated here. These the dis
ing in strength in our midst commend that Q
| Joint resolution be adopted, asking our Con
| gressmen to urge that laws be enacted carrying
| out these views.
Another matter should receive your attention
| There is, you well know, on the western shores
| of this great country r horde of Chinese Pagans
| They come from n country where the whole
| could be taken from and scarcely missed
Their immigration 10 this country should be for
ever stopped. They are not mt subjects TO become
citizens, they have no interest in this govern
ment they send all their earnings back TO thei
native land, aud when they have accumulate,
| n small sum they return there, only TO send out
| TO take their places, hordes Of similar people
| They disgrace labor; they will work for wages
| and lay up the greater portion OF their earn
| ings-that will not support white man. Thel
| are n "upas tree" 10 the growth OF the country
| recommend that you urge upon our members o
| Congress the necessity Of the enactment of Law
| that shall forever forbid another one OF tina
race from landing i'm this country. We have N
use for them, and the sooner stringent laws ar